In every election there are a bunch of distinctive words that are used many of them turning up campaign after campaign, others having their hey day during one election cycle before then disappearing.
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A swag of snags â where Aussie English came from
The convict author of Australiaâs very first dictionary would be delighted to know many âflashâ terms from his day still linger on in our everyday lexicon.
If you say there are swags of snags on the barbie, youâre using âflashâ language.Â
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A nation is defined by its dictionaries. So it is somehow appropriate that Australiaâs first lexicon guide was a dictionary of slang and was written by a convict.
If you call your clothes your âdudsâ or your âtogsâ, ask for a âdollopâ of ice cream on your dessert, say you have âswagsâ of sausages for the barbie, or call a drunk a âlushâ you are talking like a convict â using âflashâ words. There are hundreds of examples of convict slang still alive and functioning in the Australian language today.